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Ford Motor Company of Canada
Drive one. Have you driven a Ford lately? Built Ford Tough Powered by You Feel the difference Make Everyday Exciting One Ford | homepage =Ford Canada | footnotes = }} Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited was founded in 1904 for the purpose of manufacturing and selling Ford automobiles in Canada and the British Empire. The Ford Motor Company in Detroit transferred the patent and selling rights to the Walkerville Wagon Company, in order to avoid the tariff rates for non-British Empire countries. The Company was originally known as the Walkerville Wagon Works, and was located in Walkerville, Ontario (now incorporated within Windsor, Ontario). The Company President Gordon McGregor convinced a group of investors to invest in Henry Ford's new automobile, which was being produced across the river in Detroit. On August 17, 1904, the Ford Motor Company was founded in Walkerville, Ontario. The Company had gained all Ford patent rights and selling privileges to all parts of the British Empire, except Great Britain and Ireland. The Model C, the first car to be produced in Canada, rolled out of the factory in late September 1904. The Company could produce two cars at a time and in its first full year of production, the Company was able to produce 117 automobiles. The Company's first export sales were to Calcutta, India. The Company is still an important manufacturing enterprise in Windsor. With the growth in car sales after World War II, Ford of Canada decided to move its head office and build a new assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario. The new Oakville assembly plant was opened in 1953. In order to meet ever increasing demand, the Company opened a new assembly plant in Talbotville, Ontario in 1967. Historically Ford was one of most powerful companies in Canada, and in the 1970s, Ford was the "largest" company in Canada.http://www.lib.uwo.ca/business/200TopCompanies.html Ford of Canada celebrated its Centennial in 2004, shortly after the Parent Company Ford in the United States did in 2003. As of 2010, Ford is embroiled in a controversy surrounding a plan to construct a massive gas-fired power plant to be operated by TransCanada on a disused portion of its Oakville assembly plant. Local residents and politicians have pleaded with Ford not to continue with the plan, which is believed by many to threaten the health and safety of local residents. With the recent catastrophic explosion at a gas-fired power plant in Middletown, Connecticut, and the 2008 Toronto propane explosion, many believe that a buffer zone for such plants is required and that the Ford site is inappropriate due to its close proximity to homes and schools. Current CEO and President of Ford Motor Company of Canada is David Mondragon, effective September 1, 2008, replacing Barry Engle who recently resigned to join New Holland America as its CEO. William H. Osborne had held the position since 2005 and was replaced by Engle in February 2008. The firm both sells automobiles in Canada, and manufactures automobiles, for sale in Canada and other countries. Current facilities Former facilities Current vehicles produced *Ford Crown Victoria (Includes livery and Police Interceptor models) - St. Thomas - will cease production in September 2011 *Ford Edge - Oakville *Ford Flex - Oakville *Lincoln Town Car - from MY2008 - St. Thomas - will cease production in September 2011 *Lincoln MKX - Oakville *Lincoln MKT - Oakville Former vehicles produced *Ford SVT Lightning (2nd Generation) - Oakville *Mercury Monterey (Minivan) - Oakville *Mercury Marauder *Ford F-150 - Oakville *Ford Freestar - Oakville *Ford Windstar - Oakville *Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz- Oakville *Ford Model-A - Walkerville (Windsor) *Ford Model-C - Walkerville (Windsor) *Ford Model-K - Walkerville (Windsor) *Ford Model-N - Walkerville (Windsor) *Ford Model-T - Walkerville (Windsor) *Ford Torino - Oakville *Ford Falcon - Oakville *Ford Maverick - Oakville *Ford Econoline - Oakville *Ford-produced Canadian Military Pattern truck during World War II - Windsor *Mercury Grand Marquis - St. Thomas *Mercury Meteor - Windsor, Oakville *Mercury Monarch - Oakville References External links * Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited * Latest Ford news announcements Category:Ford Motor Company Category:Companies founded in 1904 Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of Canada Category:Ford Motor Company of Canada Category:Companies of Canada